Banking
Heritage Bank Agent Outlets hits 400, Opens in Badagry
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
In line with the financial inclusion strategy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and its determination to capture the alarming number of unbanked market women, artisans and underserved population in the country, Heritage Bank Plc has deepened its retail banking structure by launching agent banking services at the coastal town of Badagry in Lagos State.
This has brought the growing number of the lender’s agent banking base to 400 ‘Corner Shops.’
The new Badagry outlet, called Thy Grace, was unveiled over the weekend to provide a range of financial services to customers in the neighbourhood of Mowo under the Badagry Local Government.
The MD/CEO of Heritage Bank, Mr Ifie Sekibo explained that the bank has continued to set standard in the launching of ‘Corner Shop’ to cater for the need of traders and artisans at different locations across the country.
According to him, the shop is aimed at giving the unbanked, especially in the rural areas the opportunity to enjoy financial services without the risk and stress of walking kilometres in order to visit a bank branch.
Speaking at the commissioning in Badagry, the Zonal Business Coordinator, South-West, South-South, Agent Banking, Heritage Bank, Ms Oluwakemi Adewunmi, described the feat as a major breakthrough that would relieve the people living in the Ikogazebbe community of the stress they hitherto faced in transacting banking services.
She said with the new Agent commissioned to represent Heritage Bank in the locality, banking services would no longer constitute a headache, but rather would be stress-free for all categories of bank customers.
According to her, anybody can benefit from the services of the agent whether you are a customer to Heritage Bank or another bank.
Ms Adewunmi explained that customers can open bank account, deposit cash, transfer money even to other banks and also pay bills. In view of the peculiarity of the community, she disclosed that the agent deploys mobile POS; adding that the device would make the agent make banking services available at the doorsteps of customers.
With the inclusion of Thy Grace, she said Heritage Bank now boasts of about 400 agents it has established in different parts of the country. She commended the agents for their commitment over the past two years that Heritage Bank’s campaign for financial inclusion started.
Her words: “The level of their loyalty is very high and commendable. Our agents maintain a clean record and they have been effective.”
In his remarks after receiving the Certificate of Authorisation to carry out agent banking on behalf of Heritage Bank, Mr Hunyingan Pius Mifrinso, promoter of Thy Grace, commended the bank for the approval given to him.
He assured that the services of his agency would help to bring banking services closer to the host community. Before now, Mr Mifrinso disclosed that for anybody to transact banking services, the person had to travel over a distance of 15km before getting to the nearest bank.
His words: “The Ikogazebbe community is about 15km far from Badagry and for anybody to do a small banking transaction; the person has to travel to Badagry town.” Apart from the time usually wasted in doing that, he said transportation cost a minimum of N400.
Meanwhile, Mr Mifrinso assured that with the new dispensation, the people in the neighbourhood could heave a sigh of relief as banking is now made easy. In order to effectively cover the area, he disclosed that his agency would recruit some roaming agents to comb the community for traders who might not have the time to deposit the proceeds of their sales in banks.
Agent banking is the delivery of financial services outside conventional bank branches, often using non-bank retail agents and relying on technology, such as card readers, point-of–sale (POS) terminal or mobile phones for real time transaction processing. It is an initiative to actualise the CBN’s policy on financial inclusion.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
About N2 billion is expected to be used to finance renewable energy products for customers by the end of 2026 in an effort to accelerate Nigeria’s clean energy transition.
To meet this goal, Sterling Bank is launching Sterling Solar Financing Hubs inside StarTimes retail outlets to embed on-the-spot solar financing at the point of purchase.
From the N2 billion earmarked for this initiative, N600 million has already been used up.
Under this programme, customers can now walk into participating outlets, select their preferred solar solution, receive financial guidance from dedicated Sterling Solar Financing Advisors, and begin the financing process immediately, subject to the bank’s credit assessment.
The first phase of the rollout commenced this July with five Solar Financing Hubs across Lagos, located in Lekki, Ikeja, Festac, Surulere, and Victoria Island.
The network will expand rapidly to 46 StarTimes outlets nationwide before the end of the third quarter of 2026, with a view to extending the model to more than 200 StarTimes locations nationwide.
Both parties have promised to continue working together to democratise access to clean energy financing, empowering more Nigerians to solarise their homes and businesses while contributing to a greener future.
“Sterling exists to enrich lives, and we believe that access to clean, reliable energy should be within everyone’s reach. Through this partnership with StarTimes, we are democratising access to solar by bringing financing directly to the point of need, enabling more families and businesses to transition to sustainable energy without the burden of prohibitive upfront costs. This is about unlocking opportunity, improving livelihoods, and powering Nigeria’s future,” the Divisional Head of Renewable Energy and Mobility at Sterling Bank, Mr Darlington Nwankwo, said.
Also commenting, the Vice President of StarTimes Nigeria, Mr Eric Xiao, said, “With the rollout of the Sterling Solar Financing Hubs, we are doing more than just selling solar products; we are building a sustainable energy ecosystem. By integrating StarTimes’ extensive service network with Sterling Bank’s professional financial services, we are significantly lowering the barrier for Nigerian households and small businesses to access clean energy.
“Moving forward, we will continue to deepen this partnership, ensuring that more Nigerians can enjoy reliable, affordable, and smart energy solutions, ultimately turning our vision of energy accessibility into a reality for all.”
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Nigeria Business Summit Regional Tour of Stanbic IBTC Bank made a detour to Jogor Centre, Ibadan, Oyo State, on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, to empower Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
The event brought together business leaders, development partners and government representatives to discuss pathways for sustainable enterprise development across the South-West.
Participants engaged in practical masterclasses on export opportunities; access to finance and business growth strategies; gaining actionable insights into market expansion; trade documentation; credit readiness; financial record-keeping; and structured financing solutions designed to support long-term business success.
The Head of Enterprise Banking at Stanbic IBTC Bank, Ms Olajumoke Bello, informed participants that the programme is part of the lender’s commitments to supporting MSMEs through practical business education, strategic partnerships and improved access to growth opportunities.
The Executive Director of Business and Commercial Banking at Stanbic IBTC Bank, Mr Remy Osuagwu, on his part, said, “Our ambition is to be more than a financial institution to Nigerian businesses. We want to be a trusted growth partner, providing the financing, business insights and advisory support entrepreneurs need to build sustainable enterprises and unlock new opportunities.”
Similarly, the chief executive of Stanbic IBTC Bank, Mr Wole Adeniyi, who reinforced the company’s commitment to enterprise development, highlighted the importance of providing businesses with the right support structures to enable sustainable growth and long-term competitiveness.
“At Stanbic IBTC, we believe that sustainable economic growth depends on the success of small and growing businesses. That is why we are focused on providing access to finance, practical advisory support and the connections businesses need to move from ambition to scale,” he stated.
The Oyo State Commissioner for Investment, Trade, Cooperatives, and Industry, Professor Soliu Adelabu, said the initiative was designed to support businesses and strengthen the state’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, praising the bank for its support for traders, entrepreneurs, and artisans in the state.
The Permanent Secretary in the Oyo State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Mrs O.M. Shotonwa-Roagess, highlighted the importance of strategic partnerships in expanding economic opportunities for women and vulnerable groups across Oyo State. She noted that the ministry remains open to collaborating with organisations such as Stanbic IBTC, development partners and the private sector to drive financial inclusion, entrepreneurship and sustainable economic empowerment.
The Nigeria Business Summit Regional Tour forms part of Stanbic IBTC’s broader commitment to empowering entrepreneurs through capacity building, financial inclusion and strategic business support, helping enterprises unlock new opportunities for growth and long-term success.
The Ibadan leg built on the momentum of previous tour stops in Katsina and Aba.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Yemi Cardoso, says Nigeria anticipates remittances from citizens living abroad to increase by two-thirds in 2026 as it seeks to bolster its foreign-exchange reserves to $1 billion monthly.
“We are expecting that by the end of the year, we will hit about a billion Dollars a month from diaspora remittances,” he said at the 14th Annual BusinessDay CEO Forum in Lagos on Thursday, themed From Stability to Shared Prosperity.
Mr Cardoso said remittances are expected to be boosted from more than $600 million currently, banking on the CBN’s deliberate target at remittances to diversify reserve sources beyond oil earnings.
According to him, the apex bank engaged Nigerians abroad, banks and international partners to identify barriers to official remittance flows.
He said the lender subsequently reviewed policies to ensure easier movement of funds into and out of the country.
Mr Cardoso described the approach as providing free entry and free exit for foreign exchange.
He said the reforms helped double diaspora inflows within one year and exceeded initial expectations, also projecting annual remittances could reach about $8 billion if the current momentum was sustained, adding that the development reflected growing confidence in Nigeria’s financial system and foreign exchange market.
Mr Cardoso said reforms introduced by the apex bank had restored stability in the foreign exchange market and improved investors’ confidence.
He identified exchange rate unification as one of the central bank’s major achievements under the reforms programme.
According to him, replacing multiple exchange rate windows with a market-driven system eliminated distortions and improved transparency.
Mr Cardoso said improved foreign exchange liquidity and stronger reserves were among the gains from the reforms.
He said Nigeria’s net external reserves had risen from about $3 billion at the start of the reforms to above $40 billion currently, noting that gross external reserves had grown to about $52 billion, representing about 10 months of import cover.
According to him, the reserves are designed to shield the economy from external shocks and excessive market volatility.
He said the reserves were not meant for routine interventions or day-to-day exchange rate management.
